Cigar-lighter



J H. COHEN CIGAR LIGHTER Jan. 30, 1934.

Filed April 4, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l l A 6 /l nvmvron. Jaw 0h 60/7 21; BY w 1 ORNEY Jan. 30, 1934. J. H. COHEN 1,944,924

CIGAR LIGHTER Filed April 4, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 30 INVENTOR.

Jose W1 Cofren Y TORNEY Patented Jan. 30, 1934 CIGAR-LIGHTER Joseph H. Cohen, Bridgeport, Conn. Application April 4, 1929'. {Serial No. 352,376

14 Claims.

This invention relates to electric cigar-lighters, and more particularly to the general type in which the igniting unit is supported on a holding device to be brought to incandescence while so supported, and to be quickly and completely removable from the holding device by hand for use.

In my copending application, Serial No. 304,- 746, now Patent No. 1,710,348, in which such a 0 device is shown, there is disclosed means for supporting the removable igniting unit in such a way that the heating element thereof is concealed from view and is inaccessible for hand engagement while supported on the holding device. This is a particularly advantageous feature, for not only is the heating element, which becomes oxidized and ash-laden after use, kept out of.

heating element was in fact being brought to incandescence or the degree of incandescence to which it has been brought, without first removing the igniting unit from the holding device to observe its condition.

This disadvantage is obviated by the present invention bymaking the body of the igniting unit or part thereof of such translucent material that the glow resulting from the incandescing heating element may be observed by the user, thus making it feasible for the user to remove and use the igniting unit just so soon as the visible glow indicates that the heating element is at the desired temperature. By having the entire body of the igniting unit, or at least a substantial part thereof, of light-conducting material, when the body is grasped in any ordinary way, some part of the body will be exposed to view, so that the glow of the heating element may be observed; and it is not necessary for the user to grasp the igniting unit in a special or particular way as would be the case if the translucent or light-conducting portion of the body were only at the end thereof. Moreover, when the body is so made, and protrudes, as it does, from the holding device, the glow may be viewed from any angle.

' In practice, it has been found that, even if the heating element is almost entirely surrounded by opaque bodies in the igniting unit, a slight or narrow beam of light emanating from the incandescing heating element will impinge upon the material of the body so that the body glows.

. In this way, it was found that, even if the heating element itself cannot be viewed while incandescent, the fact that it is so can be determined from the glowing of thetranslucent portion of the body.

The body may be made of any suitable material, such as glass, phenol condensation product, or, in fact, any material which possesses the desired degree of translucency or relative transparency, and the material may be clear,

1. e. of uniform translucency, if desired. It is, however, desirable to have a high degree or translucency and yet have the parts within the igniting unit hid from view. 'This desideratum has been realized by the present invention by making the material of the body mottled, or, in other words, of ununiform translucency. In this way, the mottled effect obscures the parts in the igniting unit from view, even though portions of the body be practically transparent; and ,yet the relatively transparent portions of the body transmit a great deal of light which, impinging upon the less transparent portions in the body causes the body to glow.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

. In the accompanying drawings which show one form of the present invention as exemplary thereof- Figure 1 is a sectional view of the cigarlighter, showing the igniting unit in normal position on the holding or supporting device.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cigar-lighter; showing the igniting unit as being pressed in by the users hand to cause current to flow through the heating element, the glow resulting from the incandescence of the heating element being indicated by lines radiating from the igniting unit.

Fig. 3 shows the igniting unit as held in the 10 user's hand ready to have the end of a cigar or the like brought into contact with the heat-v ing element to ignite it. v

Fig. 4 is a sectional view like Fig. 1, but showing the igniting unit in the position which it 106 occupies on the holdng devce when moved by hand to close the switch contained within the holding device. v

Fig. 5 is an elevation, showing the igniting unit removed from theholding device, part of 1m the body of the igniting unit being broken away to show the slit sleeve therein in section.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the removable heating element.

Fig. 'I is a transverse sectional view of the igniting unit taken on the line 7--7 Fig. 4.

The device of the present invention illustrated is particularly adapted for use on a motor vehicle and comprises a holding device and a removable igniting unit. The former, in the form shown herein, comprises a post 14 which has a flange 15 and a screw-threaded rod 17 which, after being passed through a hole provided in the instrument board 16 to receive it, is adapted to receive a washer 18 and a nut 19 by the tightening of which the flange 15 is drawn firmly against the instrument board 16 to securely fasten the holding device thereto. The holding device also comprises a cap '20 adapted to telescopically slide upon a flange 21 on the post 14 and is held thereon against removal by the end 01 the cap being spun or peened over to engage the edge of the flange 21.- Interposed between the end of the cap 20 and the post 14, is a coil spring 22 which holds the cap 20 normally in the position shown in Fig. 1, with the peened over end of the cap in engagement with the flange 21.

The holding device has two contacts adapted to be engaged by cooperating contacts on the removable igniting unit. One of these contacts is constituted by the cap 20, while the other is a conta t 23 centrally located on the end of the cap 2 and insulated therefrom. Normally, the contact 23 is dead, i. e. does not carry current, for it is out of engagement with a live contact 24 carried by an insulating sleeve 25 forced into a hole in the end of the post 14 and electrically connected to a feed wire 26 leading to a source of E. M. F.

When the igniting unit is supported on the cap 20 and the latter, through the medium of the igniting unit, is slid by hand toward the instrument board, a contact 27 connected with the contact 23 is moved into engagement with the live contact 24, thus causing current to flow to the removable igniting unit. Upon release of the pressure on the cap 20, the spring 22 returns the cap to normal position, opening the circuit leading to the igniting unit by causing a gap to occur between the live contact 24 and the contact 27 of the normally dead contact 23 on the holding device.

The igniting unit shown includes a heating element, in the form of a spiral coil of high resistance wire 28 supported on a disk 29 of mica, or'other suitable material, which in turn is carried by a perforated metal disk 30. The outer end of the heating element coil is secured to the metal disk 30 at 31 while the inner end is pinched in a transverse slot in the end of the metal pin 32 which extends through the mica disk 29 and the metal disk 30 and receives a nut after the insertion of insulated material 33 between the pin and the plate 30.

This heating element 28 is mounted in a body member 34 which comprises two parts 34a and,

34b, said parts being provided with cooperating screw-threads 35 by means of which they are held together. The part 34a of the body has a central bore 36 extending through it from end to end, while in the part 341) there is provided a chamber 3'1 and an end wall 38. This central bore 36 and chamber 37 forms a cavity which is open at one end 39 01' the body and closed at the other end by the wall 38. The heating coil 28 is located Within this cavity and is held in place adjacent the inner end of the bore 36 in the part am by the clamping action resulting from the tightening of the screw-threads 35 when the parts 34a and 341: are assembled in a manner more fully ex plained below. The central bore'36 in the part 34a is so shaped as to permit the insertion of the end of a cigar or cigarette which may thus be brought into direct contact with the coil of wire 28 of the heating element, for the latter is placed in the cavity so as to face the end 39 of the body. The part 34b also constitutes a shield to prevent draughts of air from quickly cooling off the heating element and also acts as an ash guard to catch any ashes that may fall off a cigar or cigarette in the act of reigniting the same.

In order to conceal the heating element from view, it is mounted on the holding device so that the end 39 of the body lies adjacent the instrument board 16 while the end wall 38 of the body faces persons sitting in the car.

The mounting of the removable igniting unit to obtain these results is, according to the invention disclosed in my patent above named, accomplished by shaping the bore 36 in the body so that the post 14 and cap 20 may enter the same and engage bearing surfaces provided on the wall of the cavity. These bearing surfaces may be constituted by the internal wall of the part 34a itself, if desired. Preferably, and in order that the removable igniting unit may be frictionally held on the cap 20 of the holding device against accidental removal, the cavity 36 is made slightly oversize and there is interposed between the cap 20 and the internal wall of the part 34a a slit sleeve 40 of springy material and so biased as to tend to move away from the internal wall of the part 34a. This sleeve 40 is provided with a flange 41 adapted to engage the disk 30 of the heating element.

The heating element, in addition to the disk 30, is provided with a spider 42 having a central portion inserted between the insulation 33 and the disk 30 and making electrical contact with the latter. The arms of the spider are of such length that when the heating element is placed in the chamber or cavity 36, the arms engage a circumferential shoulder 43 on the part 34b. Hence, when the part 34a is screwed in place, the pressure of the flange 41 of the slit sleeve 40 causes the spider arms to yield and take up any looseness which may exist as the result of minor inaccuracies in the manufacture of the parts.

' With the parts assembled as shown, when the removable igniting unit is placed on the cap 20 of the holding device, opposite sides of the sleeve 40 yield andengage the surface of the cap 20 with suflicient pressure to hold the igniting unit thereon against accidental removal.

The removable igniting unit has two contacts adapted to continuously engage two contacts on the holding device when the igniting unit is slid home on the cap as far as it will go without moving the cap. One 01' these contacts is constituted by the slit sleeve 40 which engages the cap 20 on the post 14 and the other is the pin 32 which holds the center of the heating coil and which engages the contact 23 on the cap 20. Thus it will be seen that in addition to serving as the bearing surface for the removable igniting unit, the slit sleeve 40 also constitutes one of the contacts of the removable igniting unit.

In using the device, the operator may grasp it by hand obtaining purchase in the circumier- .ential "groove of the body 34, or he may push directly on the wall 38 with his fingers.

If the former method is employed, however, the position of the igniting unit need not be changed in the users hand, for it may be slid off the cap 20 and then the hand may be turned to bring it against a cigar or cigarette held in the mouth ready to be ignited.

In the device shown in my patent aboye named. the user must either guess at when the heating coil has been brought to the desired degree oi incandescenceor he must remove the, igniting unit from the holder to ascertain it.

According to the present invention, however, he must needs do neither, yet the heating coil is inaccessible and concealed from view while supported on the holder and is not incandescent.

To accomplish this is the salient feature of the present invention and is of prime importance, for it obviates the disadvantage of the otherwise extremely advantageous concealed cigar-lighter shown in my patent above named.

This isdone, according to the present invention, by forming the body 34, or the part 341) thereof, or even a portion of the part 341), of translucent material such as glass, phenol condensation product, etc., so that light emanating from the normally concealed heating element may be observed by the user, enabling the user to determine if the heating element is actually being brought to incandescence or to what degree of incandescence it has been brought. By observing the glow of the translucent portions of the body 34, the user can easily determine how hot the heating element is and can thus remove it for use'just so soon as the heating element has been brought to the proper temperature for the purpose. For instance, if the user desires to ignite a cigarette, the igniting unit may be removed as soon as a faint glow is observed, for the heating element then will be hot enough for that purpose. But, if a damp cigar is to be ignited, or several persons desire to use the lighter, the user will hold the igniting unit pressed toward the holding device until the body glows more brightly, indicating that the heating element is very hot.

Of course, any portion of the body 34 of the igniting unit may, in accordance with this invention, be made of translucent material which will glow as the result of light emanating from the heating element, but preferably the translucent portion is not restricted to a limited area or surface of the body, for the users hand might inadvertently cover such a limited portion and hide the glow from the users view, unless, %of course, the user was careful to grasp the body in such away that it would be exposed.

Moreover, when the entire body, or a substantial portion thereof, is made translucent, the glow produced by-the incandescing heating element may be seen from any angle with relation to the axis of the igniting unit, and it is not necessary for the user to place himself in any special or unusual position to observe whether or not the heating element is incandescent.

In the form of the invention at present preferred, the entire body 34, or at least the part 34b thereof, is made translucent so as to glow, and hence, when the body is grasped in any ordinary way, some part of it at least will be exposed to view.

The degree of translucency of the translucent body 34, or the part thereof which is translucent, may vary greatly within the scope of this invention. It may, for instance, at one extreme, be so translucent as to be more properly termed transparent or transpicuous. In such case, the metallic parts in the body, including the disk 30 and the sleeve 40, might be seen through the body even when no light is emanating from the heating element. This would not be particularly objectionable in some cases, for, even though these parts might be seen, the device would be advantageous, because the heating element would still be inaccessible for hand or finger engagement. At the other extreme, the degree of translucency of the body or part thereof may be such that the metal parts in the igniting unit cannot be discerned at all when the heating coil is cold, and merely the glowing of the body resulting from the light from the heating coil impinging on the material of the body can be seen when the heating element is brought to incandescence.

The latter is at present considered preferableto the former, yet it has been discovered that the best results are obtained when the body is of ununiform translucency, for instance, when the greater part of it is quite translucent and less ranslucent has streaks or mottling.

When the body, or the translucent portion thereof, is'so made, even a narrow beam of light emanating from the heating element is diffused through the more translucent portions of the body and, impinging on the less translucent portions, causes the latter to glow and produce a very striking appearance, attracting the eye of the user even should his gaze be centered at some other point.

It will be noted that in the form of the invention shown, the sleeve 40 shields the light emanating from the face of the heating element to a great extent. Yet, since the sleeve is provided with slots 40' and the disk 30 has an annular row of perforations, sufficient light from the incandescing heating element can filter through the slits 40' and the perforations to cause the body to glow, especially when the part 34a of the body is also more translucent.

However, in order that a substantially great amount of light from the heating element will be available to make the body glow, the heating element is so arranged and formed that the light emanating from the back of the heating coil may pass to and impinge upon the wall 38 of the body.

To do this, the insulating disk 29 is preferably made of mica, and the disk 30 is provided with one or more openings .45, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Also, the arms of the spider 42 are cut away at 46, or are initially-so formed, so as to avoid materially obstructing the passage of light emanating from the heating coil through the lightopenings 45 to the interior wall of the body.

When so arranged, suflicient light passes from the heating element to the body to make the body glow, even when the heating element is merely brought to a dull red heat, and even when the device is used in the presence of considerable light from other sources.

The device of the present invention disclosed herein is an improvement on the device disclosed in my prior copending applications Serial No. 304,745, filed September 8th, 1928, and Serial No. 325,377, filed December 31st, 1928, and on that disclosed in a prior copending application of Arthur A. Johnson, Serial No. 331,163-,-filed January 9th, 1929, in which there is claimed patentable subject matters disclosed herein but not claimed.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to obtain Letters Patent, ist- 1. An electric cigar-lighter igniting unit adapted to be supported on a holder, and having a heating element adapted to be electrically connected to the holder to be brought to incandescence, said igniting unit being completely removable from the holder for use and having a body made of translucent material for obscuring the heating element from view and yet permitting the glow of light emanating from the heating element to be conducted through said body so that it may be observed by the user when the heating element is brought to incandescence.

2. A electric cigar-lighter igniting unitadapted to be supported on a holder, and having a heating element adapted to be electrically connected to the holder to be brought to incandescence, said igniting unit being completely removable from the holder for use and having a body for carrying and enclosing said heating element, said body being of translucent material so that the glow of the light emanating from the heating element and conducted through said body may be observed by the user when the heating element is brought to incandescene.

3. An electric cigar-lighter igniting unit adapted to be supported on a holder, and having a heating element adapted-to be electrically con nected to the holder to be brought to incandescence, said igniting unit being completely removable from the holder for use and having a body for carrying said heating element in a cavity therein so that the heating element is concealed from view and inaccessible for hand engagement. while supported on the holder, a substantial and integral portion of said body being made of translucent material so that the glow of the light emanating from the said cavity and conducted through said portion of the body may be observed by the user as an incident to the heating element being brought to incandescence.

4. An electric cigar-lighter igniting unit adapted to be suported on a holder, and having a. heating element adapted to be electrically connected to the holder to be brought to incandescence, said igniting unit being completely removable from the holder for use and having a body for carrying and enclosing the heating element, said body being supported on the holding device so as to protrude therefrom, and being transparent so that the glow of the light emanating from the heating element and conducted through said body may be observed by the user from any angle relative to the axis of the body when the heating element is brought to incandescene.

5. An electric cigar-lighter igniting unit adapted to be supported on a holder, and having a heating element adapted to be electrically connected to the holder to be brought to incandescence, said igniting unit being completely removable from the holder for use and having a body for carrying and enclosing the heating element, said body being supported on the holding device so as to protrude therefrom and being made of amaterial conductive to light and adapted to glow when the heating element is brought toin candescence.

6. An electrtic cigar-lighter igniting unit adapted to be supported on a holder, and hav-- ing a'heating element adapted to be electrically connected to the holder to be brought to incandescence, said igniting unit being completely removable from the holder for use and having a body for carrying the heating element and concealing the latter from view when the igniting unit is supported on the holder, the body having an ash-guard made of light conductive material and adapted to glow when the heating element is brought to incandescence.

'7. An electric cigar-lighter igniting unit adapted ,to be supported on a holder, and having a heating element adapted to be electrically connected to the holder to be brought to incandescence, said igniting unit being completely removable from the holder for use and having a body formed of two parts for carrying and enclosing the heating element, said parts being made of light conductive material and being in light conducting relation with the heating element and adapted to glow when the heating element is brought to incandescence.

8. An electric cigar-lighter igniting unit adapted to be supported on a holder, and having a heating element adapted to be electrically connected to the holder to be brought to incandescence, said igniting unit being completely removable from the holder for use 'and having a body formed of two parts for carrying and enclosing the heating element, one of said'parts having a central bore through which a cigar may be passed to bring the end thereof into engagement with the heating element, and the other constituting a handle for the manipulation of the igniting unit and being made of material conductive of light so as to glow as the result of light emanating from the incandescing heating element impinging upon the same.

9. A cigar-lighter comprising a body, a heating element, the body having a cavity open at one end within which the heating element is located, the other end of the body being closed and constituting a handle by means of which the cigarlighter may be grasped, and means at the open end of the body for mounting the cigar-lighter on the supporting device for quick removal and replacement so. that the heating element is concealed by the supporting device and the closed end of the body is exposed and accessible to be manually engaged for the manipulation of the cigar-lighter, a substantial and integral portion of said body being made of material conductive of light and being adapted to glow as the result of light emanating from the incaniiescing heating element impinging upon said porlOIl.

10. An electric cigar-lighter igniting unit adapted to be supported on a holder, and having a heating element adapted to be electrically connected to the holder to be brought to incandescence, said igniting unit being completely removable from the holder for use and having a body for carrying and enclosing the heating element and having a part thereof of ununiform translucent material, the more translucent portions of said part being adapted to conduct a substantial amount of the light emanating from the descence, said igniting unit being completely removable from the holder for use and having a body for carrying and completely enclosing and concealing from view the heating element and including a handle portion made of light conductive material in light conducting relation with the heating element and adapted to glow when the heating element is brought to incandescence.

12. An electric cigar-lighter adapted to be supported on a holder, and having a heating element adapted to be electrically connected to the holder to be brought to incandescence, said igniting unit being completely removable from the holder for use and having a body formed of two parts for carrying and enclosing the heating element, one of said parts being made of light conductive material and being in light conducting relation with the heating element and adapted to glow when the heating element is brought to incandescence.

13. A lighter of the kind described, comprising a fixed portion and a removable portion, a transparent cover on said removable portion, a

igniting unit current conducting plate in said cover, and a resistance element mounted below said plate, said plate being provided with means whereby the glow of the resistance element will be visible through the transparent cover.

14. An electric cigar-lighter igniting unit adapted to be supported on a holder and having a heating element adapted to be electrically connected to the holder to be brought to incandescence, said igniting unit being completely removable from the holder for use and having a body for carrying and enclosing the heating element, said body being supported on the holding device so as to protrude therefrom; and means for supporting said heating element in the body and provided with means whereby light emanating from the heating element may pass to and impinge upon said body, said body being made of a material conductive of light so as to glow when light from the heating element impinges thereon.

JOSEPH H. COHEN. 

